Caribbean Finds Opportunities From Brown Seaweed ‘Sargassum’

Hauling tonnes and tonnes of brown seaweed known as sargassum has become an annual chore for sailors in the Caribbean, steering them clear from the pristine shores where tourists and vacationers in the region flock.

This marine plant turns black and smells like sewage when washed ashore, and it’s been known to cause illness to unsuspecting tourists.

The sargassum has been a persisting problem since 2011, according to a report by Reuters, and scientists could only pinpoint climate change as the root cause of this overwhelming situation.

How problematic is the situation, you ask. It’s pretty weight-y. In Quintana Roo, Mexico for example more than 37,000 tons of sargassum were hauled by the navy personnel since March of this year. That’s even greater than the weight of three Eiffel Towers!

It’s beginning to become a nuisance to most tourism businesses, and even the usual operations in the islands, but there are experts and entreprenuers in the Caribbean that are now looking for ways to turn the tables and use the sargassum to their advantage.

The brown seaweed is being considered in a sundry of uses, including animal feed, fuel, construction material, and yes, even signature cocktails.

“Sargassum is seen as a nuisance,” said Srinivasa Popuri, an environmental scientist in Barbados with the University of the West Indies interviewed by Reuters.